Phoenix Stakes day at the Curragh opened with a bang – and a bloody nose for the market – as PUSH THE BOAT OUT, a 16/1 shot for Michael O’Callaghan and champion jockey Colin Keane, took the 13:15 Irish EBF Maiden from the Ballydoyle newcomer Marco Polo.
| Pos | Horse | Jockey | SP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Push The Boat Out | Colin Keane | 16/1 |
| 2 | Marco Polo | Ronan Whelan | 14/1 |
| 3 | New Bond Street | Billy Lee | 3/1 |
| 4 | Atlantic Bridge | Donagh O’Connor | 7/1 |
The Race Story
Nineteen juveniles faced the starter for the six-furlong cavalry charge that traditionally opens this card, on ground riding Good to Firm, Good in places, and the race set up exactly as our morning preview warned it might – a big field splitting into groups on the straight course, with the result decided by which pocket got the stronger gallop.
It was the unfancied pocket. Keane produced Push The Boat Out with a well-timed run to put the race to bed by a length and a quarter, giving O’Callaghan’s yard a first-strike win on the biggest juvenile day of the Irish summer. Aidan O’Brien’s debutant Marco Polo (14/1) stayed on nicely without ever quite landing a blow, three-quarters of a length clear of the 3/1 chance New Bond Street, with Atlantic Bridge (7/1) a neck away fourth for the Robson Aguiar stable.
The eye-catcher for the notebook: Snowing, sent off the 7/4 favourite for Ballydoyle after sustained morning support from the 100/30 on offer at breakfast time, could manage only sixth under Ryan Moore. The market got this one badly wrong from top to bottom.
Tipster Accountability
A miss for our morning Curragh preview, which put up New Bond Street as the verdict with Snowing as the danger – third and sixth respectively, so no bloodletting but no profit either. None of the ten tracked names in the tipster bankroll ledger had a recorded selection in this maiden; their Curragh interest today is concentrated on the two Phoenix contests later on the card, so the bankrolls are all still intact – for now.
Looking Ahead
The juvenile theme continues through the early card before the sprinters take over: the 14:50 Sheehy Motors Volkswagen Handicap over five furlongs is next up as we publish, where Ipanema Queen (4/1 this morning) was the preview’s headline fancy on a quick surface that should suit the speedsters. Then comes the serious stuff – Big Mojo, last season’s Haydock Sprint Cup hero, raids for the Group 3 Phoenix Sprint Stakes at 15:25, before Sun Goddess carries the Ballydoyle first colours in the Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at 16:00. If the opener is any guide, favourite backers should tread carefully this afternoon. Deauville’s card is also rolling – the French opener produced an upset of its own, with more to come before the Prix Maurice de Gheest at 15:40 UK time.
